Table maintenance is integrated into tableBASE. No extra design or programming time is required to develop auxiliary maintenance subsystems. Table entries can be added, changed, and deleted with a simple command. Changes to both table size and structure are automatically accommodated by tableBASE.
Table maintenance becomes a simple matter of filling in the blanks. In conjunction with development of table-driven, rule-based systems, this allows more direct end-user control over applications. Increased end-user responsibility and control over table data means greater control over system behaviour, eliminating the need for the change request process required by traditional application types. A programmer’s time is saved from program maintenance, table maintenance, and the development of table maintenance software.
The end user can oversee the updating and maintenance of a single version of the table for convenience and increased control. If various table organizations are needed, they are simply defined within tableBASE with no impact on maintenance or existing programs.
It is also possible to define multiple versions of a table for phased change, seasonal adjustment, regional differences or testing purposes. A table can be updated, tested and then marked for implementation at some future date. When that date arrives, the new table version will automatically be used by the application systems with no need to modify the systems themselves.
With tableBASE, processing changes and variations can be planned and executed in a more orderly fashion using table-driven controls, rather than involve programming staff in last-minute program updates.